FBI probing Gurudwara gunman’s racist links

New York/Washington: The FBI was on Tuesday looking into the links of the white gunman involved in the Gurdwara shooting to white supremacist groups with a history of hate towards Jews and black people but ruled out participation of a second person in the attack.

As more details emerged former US Army psychological- operations specialist Wage Michael Page`s `neo-Nazi` leanings, the FBI on Tuesday intensified its probe to ascertain the motive behind the killing of the six Sikh worshippers.

Page`s neighbours said he rarely left his one-bedroom house where he lived alone, and never made eye contact, but civil organisations which monitored his actions, described the 40-year-old as a "frustrated neo-Nazi" who had been leader of a racist white-power band.

The FBI said they were looking into Page`s ties to white supremacist groups but insisted there were no prior warning signals that could have led investigators to believe he was plotting something so vicious.

Special Agent Teresa Carlson, head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation`s Milwaukee office, said the gunman was the subject of a "domestic terrorism" probe.

The FBI also ruled out the involvement of a second person in the Sunday shooting, hours after releasing the picture of a "person of interest".

Officials cleared the man after interviewing him and affirmed that the slaying was the handiwork of a lone gunman.

"The unidentified subject has been located, interviewed and does not appear to be connected with the shooting incident at Oak Creek," a FBI spokesman said.

Earlier yesterday at a news conference, the FBI said they were trying to identify a suspicious man who arrived at the scene after the shooting and released a photograph of him, asking for the public`s help.

It emerged from disconnected pieces of information that the ex-army veteran regularly attended hate events, was an ardent believer in the white supremacist movement and was associated with rock bands whose violent music talked about murdering Jews and black people.

He played in white supremacist heavy metal bands with names such as `Definite Hate` and `End Apathy`.